A stable housing nearly 200 cattle on the farm Vestra-Fíflholt in Rangárthing eystra near Hvolsvöllur in south Iceland was destroyed in a fire yesterday morning. Around 140 animals died in the fire or were put down due to burns.
“It is naturally an immense shock,” Árni Rúnarsson, farmer at Vestra-Fíflholt, told 24 Stundir. “The sight was terrible. There was a lot of fire and nothing could be done before most of it had been extinguished and then we tried to save the animals that were still alive.”
A passer-by noticed smoke coming from the stable, which is located at a considerable distance from the farmhouse, at 7 am and notified emergency services. They contacted the farmer who arrived to the burning stable about five minutes before the firefighters.
Rúnarsson said that he will use the next few days to clean up the ruined stable and reflect on the situation. The farmer is not sure where he will go from here, although his insurance is likely to cover the reconstruction of the stable.
Chief Constable in Hvolsvöllur Sveinn Rúnarsson said firefighters had been successful in distinguishing the fire. They finished around 11 am. The source of the fire is unknown, but it is suspected to have started through electricity.
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